Dynamics of Psychopathological Disorders in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia during Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs Therapy

The comparative dynamics of mental disorders in patients with paranoid schizophrenia while being treated with typical antipsychotic drug Haloperidol and atypical antipsychotic drug Risperidone was studied. Eighty patients at the age of 18-50 (the average age was 38.7±2.3 years old) were examined. The first group included forty patients that took typical antipsychotic drug Haloperidol in a dose of 1.5 to 6 mg per day (the average dose was 4.6±1.3 mg/d), the second group also included 40 patients who took the typical antipsychotic drug Risperidone in a dose of 2 to 6 mg/d (the average dose was 3.7±1.8 mg/d). After three-month therapy the clinical outcome of patients in two groups improved significantly mainly because of positive symptoms reduction. According to pathopsychological survey (PANSS scale) the examined patients displayed significant decrease in the average total point in the group. More detailed analysis of mental state dynamics according to PANSS data showed positive syndromes such as decrease of hostility and suspicion acts. The following distinctions were also detected: the average point of negative syndromes for treated patients in the first group decreased only to 14.64%. At the same time in the second group there was more distinct reduction of negative symptoms, in particular, the negative symptom indices decreased to 41.5%. The reduction was the most significant for blunted affect, inactive social estrangement and stereotypical thinking. ?